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ZF gears up for more
Page 30
Page 31
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Having effectively seen off Eaton in the European heavy truck trans mission arena you could forgive ZF for taking things easy. However, it looKs like the fun has only just begun. Brian Weatherley reports.
Whatever happened to Eaton's assault on the European heavy truck transmission market? Geoff Buck, marketing manager for ZF Great Britain, admits he's as surprised as anyone else. "We really don't know how it took its eye off the ball:" Not that long ago, Eaton/ Fuller was chasing ZF as the "other" artic gearbox supplier to Europe's heavy truck makers with its popular constant-mesh Twin Splitter and SAMT transmissions. Then came the S series — Eaton's single-mainshaft. 16-speed synchro box — and it all went rather pear-shaped.
Ironically, while Eaton was aiming to invade ZF's synchro heartland, ZF was developing its two-pedal AS-Tronic box based on, you guessed it. a Fuller-style twin-layshaft constant-mesh layout.And the rest, as they say. is history.
At the recent Hanover Show CM'S hopes of an Eaton fight-back were raised by the sight of a North American 10-speed Ultrashift autobox on its stand. Unfortunately, we were told: "It's not coming to Europe."
Zooming ZF Contrast that with ZF's confident launch at Hanover of no less than three new European transmissions, which Buck describes as further evidence of the axle and gearbox manufacturer's desire to provide "a full spectrum cover of the market from heavy vans at 3.5 tonnes right up to 44 tonnes and above".
The latest 12-speed Ecosplit is very much a 'torque-tailored' transmission — which means being able to handle 2,800Nm now, and 3,000Nm in the future. But why 12 speeds when Ecosplit already has 16? "When the 16-speed was intro duced some 20 years ago you had very different engines with 'peaky' torque bands," Buck explains. "There was no question that the way to get the best from those engines was to have 16 gears. And that's what we did, with a 2x4x2 configuration based on a four-speed main section with a two-speed range-change and two-speed splitter.
"There was always the feeling we were overegging the pudding when people such as Scania had 14 gears. However, since then, what with EDC and variable geometry turbocharging, torque curves have become flatter and flatter so you really don't need so many ratios to achieve the best perform ance.
And that's what Ecosplit 12 is all about —particularly when you're talking 500hp-plus 'big bangers' that can easily handle fewer gear steps. ZF has already proved the theory: its 12-speed AS-Tronic auto currently outsells the alternative 16-speed version; not least in Dd. MAN and Iveco tractors.
The plan is simple enough: Ecosplit 16 will continue to handle torque outputs around the 2,100-2,500Nm mark; Ecosplit 12 will ultimately be offered for engines developing up to 3,000Nm. A 3,000Nm version of the two-pedal AS-Tronic auto will also be developed in parallel, and expect further software upgrades too.
Ecosplit 12 has a 2x3x2 layout with a three main gear set, range-change on the back and a splitter on the front. But because it uses the same outer casing as the 16-speeder the gears themselves can be bigger, with wider synchro cones to take #414 the higher torque. There's also a small
(40kg) weight saving but nothing else is changed externally, from PTO positions to control connections.
Buck says production versions will have a three-position lever pattern similar to a Scania; Servoshift will be standard. Deliveries will start next year, coinciding with the arrival of hightorque Euro-4 diesels such as the 13-litre,5 I Ohp Daf MX.
Next generation
ZF's new product programme isn't restricted to heavies. At Hanover it also unveiled a revised nine-speed Ecomid manual and talked about a six-speed Ecolite for Euro-4 middleweight engines. This will he the platform for what ZF describes as "the next generation of the ASTronic However, further up the weight range
things get even more interesting in terms of two-pedal autos. An up-to-32 tonne-capacity AS-Tronic "midbox is planned for next year featuring what Buck describes as effectively a dry sum p: "Currently most transmissions rely on 'splash' [as the gear wheels rotate through the oil sump] and forced lubrication. However.AS-Tronic Mid will have a very shallow sump. The gears won't run in it; they'll have directed forced lubrication to the hearings and gears in a very targeted fashion."
The upshot. Buck reckons, will be greater mechanical efficiency, more effective cooling and reduced churning losses, which will all add up to better fuel consumption: "It will appear in the sec
ond half of 2005,1aunchecl in a truck manufacturer's product," While Buck is discretion personified when it comes to naming names, he does confirm that next year Iveco will offer a version of the Daily van with `E-Tronic": an automated version of ZF's 65-300 box with electric clutch control and shift system, providing automatic two-pedal control.
All in all it seems that there's plenty for Eaton to think about. •